Light & Motion Titan Series

Manufacturer: Light & Motion Type: aluminum DSLR housing Years produced: 2002–2007 Models: Titan E-20, Titan D100, Titan D200 MSRP: $4,499 (Titan D200, 2006)

Overview

The Light & Motion Titan was one of the first professional-grade aluminum housing lines designed specifically for digital SLR cameras used underwater. Introduced in mid-2002 for the Olympus E-20, the Titan series represented a significant leap from Light & Motion’s compact camera Tetra line into the professional digital SLR market. The housing was characterized by its innovative electronic controls, the proprietary ROC (Remote Optical Controller) strobe power system, and Smart Grip ergonomic handles that put shutter, aperture, focus, and strobe controls at the photographer’s fingertips without removing hands from the grips.

Reviewer Rod Klein called the Titan D100 “a work of design art” and praised its “Total Control” philosophy (^[1]). The Titan series bridged the film-to-digital transition for professional underwater photographers, offering an electronically sophisticated alternative to the purely mechanical housings from Subal, Aquatica, and Sea & Sea.

Models

Titan E-20 (2002)

The original Titan was designed for the Olympus E-20, a 5-megapixel digital SLR. It debuted at SeaSpace 2002 in June and was shown at DEMA 2002 in July, where it drew significant attention alongside the prototype D100 version (^[2]). Rod Klein reviewed the housing in September 2002, praising its electronic ROC strobe control system and magnetic focus ring (^[3]).

Key features included:

• ROC strobe controller with 12 manual power levels for dual strobes
• Infrared Smart Grip handles with strobe power buttons, shutter release, and AF lock
• LED panel showing current power level of each strobe
• Magnetic focus ring for manual focus
• Built-in flat port with bayonet-mount WetMate interchangeable lens system (80-degree wide angle and macro)
• Compatible with Nikonos and Light & Motion Wetlink strobe bulkheads
• Buoyant foam dome shade for neutral balance

However, as Klein later acknowledged, “the Titan E20 had some reliability problems found in many newly introduced products,” particularly regarding the placement of electronics being “vulnerable to moisture or some other type of damage” (^[4]).

Titan D100 (2003)

The Titan D100 was announced in December 2002 for the Nikon D100 6.1-megapixel DSLR and was shown as a prototype at DEMA 2002 (^[5]). It began shipping in summer 2003 (^[6]). Light & Motion addressed the E-20’s reliability issues with significant improvements:

• All electronic contacts specially coated to prevent moisture damage
• Main electronics board fully coated and enclosed in the camera tray
• Moisture sensor providing visual alarm on the ROC display
• Improved Smart Grips with Main Dial (aperture), Sub Dial (shutter), and AF controls
• Camera tray system on metal guides for precise alignment
• Optical glass 8-inch dome wide angle port supporting Nikon 14mm through 12-24mm lenses
• Macro port for Nikon 60mm and 105mm macro lenses
• Port conversion rings for Sea & Sea, Subal, and Aquatica ports
• Bayonet port locking system
• Two-latch swivel closure system (compared to 3-4 latches on competitors)

Rod Klein tested the D100 extensively over four weeks (five dives per day) on the Kona Aggressor and Cayman Aggressor workshops. He inadvertently flood-tested the housing twice due to a pinched O-ring, and both times the camera and housing survived thanks to the moisture protection system (^[7]).

Norbert Wu also owned two Titan D100 housings and praised them as “well-balanced, relatively small and light” with controls that “did not require the user to relearn how to set controls on the camera” (^[8]).

The Titan D100 was sold as a housing body only, with lens ports available separately. Complete Travel Packages were also offered with one or two strobes, Wetlink flash connectors, accessories, and a custom case (^[9]).

Titan D200 (2006–2007)

The Titan D200 was unveiled at DEMA 2006 by CEO Barrett Heywood and Paul Barnett. It represented a major redesign from the D100 (^[10]):

• All controls moved to the housing body (no longer on handles), though still accessible while gripping handles
• USB control of camera via microprocessor inside housing
• Hybrid mechanical and electronic control
• Camera body mounting tray with USB and 2 sync cords
• Sealed and user-replaceable electronics
• Adjustable handles
• LCD control display on back showing exposure, mode, and ROC status
• Optional magnified 1:1 viewfinder (designed by John Larkin)
• Expansion bulkhead for TTL support
• An integrated game of Pong for entertainment during safety stops

The housing was priced at $4,499 MSRP (^[11]). A Backscatter preview highlighted features including “magnetic command dials” and “the return of the much-loved ROC strobe control” (^[12]).

Critical Reception

Norbert Wu’s September 2007 comparative review of three D200 housings (Ikelite, Sea & Sea, and Light & Motion) provided the most detailed independent assessment of the Titan D200. While praising the housing as “well-balanced” with “all the controls well-placed” once underwater, Wu documented several significant issues (^[13]):

Battery drain: The housing’s internal computer drew power from the camera continuously. Light & Motion estimated battery life at approximately 2.5 hours — enough for one dive but not two. Users had to open the housing and remove the camera/tray to replace batteries after every dive.

Setup complexity: Installing the camera required extensive modification of the camera’s setup menus. Wu wrote a “cheat sheet” for the multiple required settings. Each time the camera powered on, it took approximately 10 seconds for the housing computer to initialize.

ROC bulkhead corrosion: Wu’s Nikonos TTL bulkheads corroded on the first dive from salt water contact, forcing him to abandon the ROC system and use manual strobes via EO adapters.

Aperture reset: The camera reset to f/5.6 every time it was turned off, requiring manual readjustment each power-up.

Despite these issues, Wu noted the housing could potentially accept newer Nikon bodies (like the D300) with only a firmware update, since camera control was via USB rather than mechanical linkages.

Key People

• Barrett Heywood — Co-founder and CEO of Light & Motion through 2007. Demonstrated the Titan D200 at DEMA 2006 (^[14])
• Michael Topolovac — Co-founder and Board Member (^[15])
• Paul Barnett — Product representative who demonstrated the Titan at trade shows including SeaSpace 2002, SeaSpace 2003, and DEMA 2006 (^[16], ^[17])
• John Larkin — CTO and viewfinder designer (^[18])
• Rod Klein — Primary reviewer of both the Titan E-20 and Titan D100 (^[19], ^[20])
• Daniel Emerson — Succeeded Heywood as CEO in February 2007 (^[21])

Competition

The Titan competed in the premium aluminum DSLR housing market against:

• Subal — Austrian manufacturer with long film-era pedigree; priced at 2,980 EUR for the D10 (D100 housing) in 2003
• Aquatica — Canadian manufacturer; the A300 (D100) housing was also highly regarded
• Sea & Sea — Compact aluminum housings using ABS/polycarbonate construction; backward-compatible with NX-series film-era ports
• Ikelite — Polycarbonate housings offering lower cost and iTTL compatibility

The Titan differentiated itself through electronic innovation (ROC, Smart Grips, USB control) rather than the purely mechanical approach used by competitors. However, this added complexity and potential failure points that some photographers found frustrating.

Historical Significance

The Titan series was significant for several reasons:

1. Electronic innovation: The ROC system was genuinely revolutionary for its time, offering remote strobe power control years before optical fiber triggering became mainstream
2. Bridge product: It helped convince professional film shooters to transition to digital by providing familiar ergonomics with digital-specific features
3. Design philosophy: Light & Motion’s approach of electronic camera control via USB anticipated methods later adopted by other manufacturers
4. Limited production: Light & Motion ultimately shifted focus to video housings (Bluefin series) and LED lighting (Sola series), exiting the DSLR still housing market after the D200

The company was founded in 1989 in Monterey, California, and its co-founders began as “dive enthusiasts driven to build a vertically integrated manufacturing company” (^[22]). Their address at 300 Cannery Row, Monterey placed them at the heart of California’s marine community.

Timeline

• 2002-06: Titan E-20 shown at SeaSpace 2002 (^[23])
• 2002-07: Titan E-20 and prototype D100 shown at DEMA 2002 (^[24])
• 2002-09: Rod Klein publishes Titan E-20 review on Wetpixel (^[25])
• 2002-12: Titan D100 officially announced (^[26])
• 2003-05: Paul Barnett demonstrates Titan D100 at SeaSpace 2003 (^[27])
• 2003-06: Titan D100 begins shipping (^[28])
• 2003-11: Rod Klein publishes Titan D100 review (^[29])
• 2006-05: Titan D200 preliminary specs released; MSRP $4,499 (^[30])
• 2006-11: Titan D200 unveiled at DEMA 2006 (^[31])
• 2007-02: Barrett Heywood steps down as CEO; Daniel Emerson appointed (^[32])
• 2007-05: First Titan D200 units reach users (^[33])
• 2007-09: Norbert Wu publishes comparative review of three D200 housings (^[34])

References